Spelunky is notoriously difficult – scratch that, it’s notoriously unforgiving. While the basics of platforming and treasure-hunting are present, once you die – be it from standing under a spider’s upside-down nest, being rendered a tasty meal for a patrolling Mantrap, devolving into a toy with which a playful Yeti beats to death, or becoming a bit of goo beneath Olmec’s gold-plated head – there’s simply no going back.

In response, I feel it necessary to bestow hours of knowledge upon you (in spite of how Spelunky first came out six years ago!). Of course, I’m sure I’ll attract a plethora of Spelunky OGs, and so if you’ve any additional points, they’ll be much welcome.

I’m going to begin with the most simplistic (yet fundamental) tips that most beginners will appreciate, but I plan to later give advice for fully beating the game in a different blog, replete with the more hard-core tips and tricks. So here it is, and I hope you enjoy – and for all my fellow Spelunkers: thank God for rocks!

Don't worry! A Spelunky addiction is only normal.

1) Look up, look down.

When playing through Spelunky, it’s instantly apparent that you feel blind; constantly, you’ll wonder if you should drop down to the next platform, or if you should alternatively bomb your way through a converse location. Well, this predicament is aided profusely by the frequent use of the analog stick (in the cases of Xbox, PS3 and Vita) to peer bellow or above you – seeking any perils and goodies that the immediate area may hold. In doing so, that deep sense of sightlessness fades, and you’ll instead feel like the true king of the mines (and beyond).

2) Thank the lords for rocks!

To deal with those god damned Arrow Traps, or to avoid direct confrontation with a pursuing foe, it’s always a good idea to keep a rock, rat or jar close to hand. While small and seemingly useless, they can truly aid you in certain situations and are, in actual fact, adjuvant. Just remember that they can be your worst enemy, too – but that’s an entirely different tip bellow.

3) Putting-up with pots.

Upon first playing the game, we all naturally thought shattering the jars found strewn about the level was the right thing to do. We were wrong. Because while these small, fragile pots seem so harmless, the truth is that they’re among the most common way you can die in the opening levels (in spite of the fact that there are just jars), simply because they may hold In them a waiting spider or snake. To deal this ominous adversary to your adventure, you can do two things: throw them, so that you’re not in close proximity to what may be inside, or stand an obvious one step away as you smash them with your whip.

4) Stupid spiders!

I hate those jars, but I despise spiders! I can’t tell you just how many times I’ve rage-quitted an escapade because of those sly, subdued b******! (Yeah, I really hate spiders.) All my deaths, however, have taught me one thing: be careful when venturing the perpetually uncharted grounds within each level. That means, again, looking-up to see if a hairy, eight-legged monster is waiting for a crass explorer to cross its path. This means being quick enough to elude it as it plummets your way. And this means having a plan – like turning and whipping the tyrant when he falls – to live and see another day.

5) Bigger stupid spiders.

While you’ll rarely cross paths with the Big Daddies of the spider family, they still pose a great threat to your means. Additionally, they’re actually useful (when dead), as they allocate you with sticky bombs. So, to easily take care of them – and circumvent having to resort to whipping or jumping atop them which can prove to be a precarious task, indeed – you can simply use your bombs. Throw them at the two cobwebs between you and them, and the bomb should stick and tick, and then blow-up. When doing so, ensure you’re able to throw the bomb in the right place (you don’t want to waste one of your most precious resources) and that you’re not directly beneath the spider. Tough, it’s important to note that, when there’s more than one of these beasts blocking your path, a more viable option is to peg-it!

6) Those beautiful, sticky cobwebs.

The Mines are fairly simple and straightforward. But all the while, they’re deeply contusive. When bats, snakes and spiders are on your tale, easy mistakes can be made; mistakes that can truly dictate and change your overall quest, in addition to your play-style in the later worlds. Well, what you need, sir, is a counter-move, and one that gives you time to think, plan and act accordingly. The cobwebs procedurally plotted around each level is that counter-move. Indeed, they can be exploited so that a pressing bat can get all tangled-up – giving you time for the big three: to think, plan and act accordingly.

7) Those damn physics.

There’s nothing worse than dying out of pure stupidity. Because while it’s understandable to die via a monster, it just feels cheap when you throw a rock (or anything else you’ve the option of carrying) that then deflects back your way. My advice here is be careful: know when the object will change its course, be wary of the less predictable circumstances where the object will bounce, and be quick to avoid it. After all, you don’t want to throw your controller out the window – I know I’ve been close to doing just that more than once!

8) Precise plummeting.

Here’s yet another factor that shouldn’t be taken lightly: fall damage. Again, it seems so simple, and yet, again, it is one of the main sources of your untimely demise. As you (naturally) become addicted to Spelunky – playing over and over – you’ll find you can see if a certain, awkward fall is doable without losing health, and one way to do so is by – as always – using the left analog stick to peer further down. Another nifty way in which you can avoid fall damage is by holding to the side of a platform, allowing you to knock-off one block that may mean the difference between life and death.

9) Sleeping skeletons.

This tip is fairly straightforward: treat every skeleton – weather they’re alive or dead – as hostile. You see, every once in a blue moon, a heap of inert bones can, in truth, be the opposite of lifeless. If this turns out to be the case, they begin to march your way, meaning they serve as a simple but menacing threat. To deal with this, you should ideally look-out for said heap, and ready your whip.

10) Damsels, pugs and transvestites.

When you enter and leave each and every level, you’ll notice the distinct “Help!” ring from the distance. That would be the damsel – someone you can change the appearance of to look like a pug or transvestite – whom you can save and gain a heart. My tip here is to always look-out for the damsel in every level, but also to be aware that they’re not always worth depleting resources for. If you see a damsel behind ten blocks, it’s probably not the best idea to bomb your way to her (or him). That said, if you’ve an abundance of bombs (say, fifteen) then it’s up to you. It’s also notable that, if you waste too much time retrieving the damsel, the ghost can turn-up and completely ruin you day.

11) Bread crumbs.

Upon being awaked, bats are a pain. Habitually, the way bats get you is when they’re coming from an angle, rendering your trusty whip ineffective and pointless. Here, I recommend running; it’s not always the bravest thing to opt for, but more often than not, it does mean the difference between you having three hears and having four. Doing so allows you to firstly evaluate the situation, and also level-out the playing field so that it’s easier to hit them.

12) Treasure hunter or eluder?

This is less of a tip and more of an option: will you scavenge every coin hiding in each nook and cranny, or will you avoid the gold and go for more of a thief’s approach when you want items from the shop. It’s actually a tougher choice than first glance may suggest, because both the former and the latter have their perks and their risks: picking-up every gold bar or gem in sight will make you rich quick, but it’ll take time (and the Ghost is never far behind, and avoiding treasure means dealing with the vexed shopkeeper if you want the more assorted items. In the end, it’s really all up to you!

13) The fundamentals.

While the success of your Spelunky hinges mainly dexterity, there's also a fair share of luck; in order to surpass the halfway mark with absolute ease, you'll want a Jet Pack or Golden Cape, and in order to beat Yama in Hell, you’ll probably want upwards of ten bombs. Woefully, the procedurally generated levels may hold such items, or rather, they may remain unseen throughout your journey. That’s why you should never turn a blind eye to these specific items that are vital you your operation … You’ll want the Jet Pack, Compass, Spiked Shoes, Paste, a Shotgun, a Pitcher’s Mitt is always handy, and plenty of bombs.

14) Be careful!

In order to master Spelunky and the monsters it withholds, you’ll have to, first, accept one notion: playing carefully and being meticulous is the way to victory. This opens-up a particular play-style, but it’s want you want (for now, at least). When you keep your eyes peeled, waiting spiders and sleeping bats will become more overt, and thus you won’t die over and over from those silly, annoying mistakes. However, when you want to beat the game in as quick as possible (or if you desire the trophy in which you beat the game in under eight minutes), forget the above – in which case you should probably catch my next Spelunky blog!

The PlayStation Vita is, woefully, in a truly bad way. Nintendo's hand-helds are conjointly dragging its dying body through the mud; third-party publishers are the opposite of zealous when it comes to supporting it; and, most significantly for its state, gamers just aren’t buying the system. Each and every predicament Sony faces with its novel hand-held, from the former to the latter, is, for the most part, derived from one misconception many procure: that there’s not enough quality games on the system. But is this actually true? …I'd argue not.

Vita has a robust catalogue of games.

There’s actually, just to throw a big number your way, nearly 1,000 games on the system as of late (including PS1 and PSP classics). Though, these many games aren't low in quality or mailed-in; this huge slew of titles actually includes eminent, universally beloved ones: Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, Super Stardust Delta, Spelunky, Persona 4 Golden, Hotline Miami, Guacamelee!, Little Big Planet PS Vita, Killzone: Mercenary, The Walking Dead: The Game, ModNation Racers, and the list can go on and on and on. What’s most remarkable about this plethora of games to Vita’s name, is that they’re all diverse and unique – with AAA games, indie games, action-adventure games, point-and-click adventure games, first-person shooters, third-person shooters, racers, platformers, side-scrolling platformers and shoot ‘em ups (to merely but scratch the surface).

Of course, that’s notwithstanding the games-to-come, as we ascend further into 2014. With many games Vita-owners have look forward to – such as Borderlands 2, Minecraft, Hotline Miami: Wrong Number, 1001 Spikes, God of War Collection and Hohokum – as well as Vita-owners being eligible to use Remote Play, using the Vita to talk to your shinny-new PlayStation 4, there’s, indeed, much incentive to support this hand-hand, and even enjoy yourself in the process.

It still remains, however, that there’s no incentive for third-party developers and publishers themselves to import their games to the successor of the PSP. This is been shown by Activison and Ubisoft, as the games Assassin’s Creed: Liberation and Black Ops: Declassified have performed poorly on it. And, arguably, this isn’t helped with Vita’s out-right weird features that games feel all but obligated to implement – regarding the back-touchpad, augmented reality, and camera. Perhaps, this is nudging publishers away from the Vita, as it may be more cost-consuming and timely to use these things within their game (though that’s a mere stab in the dark).

In spite of this, I stand by my statement: the PlayStation Vita is backed-up by a litany of quality and assorted games. And I hope I’ve more evidence of this in the future, as I’m sure the sales of Vita will substantialise, as more consumers are seemingly being enticed by PlayStation Plus, in addition to the interconnection with the PlayStation 4.

But what do you think? Is the PlayStation Vita really backed-up by a catalogue of great and robust games, or is that just my fan-boy side coming out? And what do you think of the future for the Vita – will it be bright, or will it be bleak?

Be sure to like this blog if you think it’s worth it, follow if you want more boring blogs and reviews, and comment bellow and join my currently lonely debate!